QR Codes For Dummies, Portable Edition

Choosing a Tracking System

You have two choices for tracking a QR Code: You can use the analytical tools that come with most QR Code generators (see Chapter 3) or you can use a URL shortener service such as Bitly or Goo.gl to track your code.

The main advantage of using the tracking system that comes with a QR Code generator site — such as QRStuff.com, or the one I use in this chapter, uQR.me — is that you can track any data type you want (such as URL, vCard, or phone number), whereas a URL shortener service tracks only a URL.

However, the difference between generators and shorteners isn’t so great when you realize that most people use QR Codes with URLs anyway.

Regardless of which tracking system you choose, here’s a short primer on how to use both.

Using a generator

A generator site is where you can create and design your very own QR Code. Most QR Code generators come with tracking tools. Sometimes they’re free, but sometimes not. Make sure to check your generator for analytics before you create and use a QR Code in a campaign.

The QR Code–management system I use for this book — and in my previous book, Cause Marketing For Dummies — is uQR.me. I purchased the Campaigns account (for $50 per year) and pay just $1 per QR Code.

Many other QR Code–tracking services, including those I mention in Chapter 3, have similar management systems that give the same data and work the same way ...